A Longitudinal Assessment of the Affective Impact of Preservice Training on Prospective Teachers.

Pigge, Fred L.; Marso, Ronald N.

This study sought to determine whether or not teacher training had a predictable impact upon the affective attributes of prospective teachers. Measures of anxiety, attitude, concerns, and confidence about teaching were administered to a sample of 153 prospective teachers before and after their student teaching experience. It was found that as these prospective teachers progressed through teacher training they became less concerned about their self-survival as a teacher but more aware of the complex demands of the teaching profession (task concerns), became less anxious about becoming teachers, and became more assured about the decision to become teachers. They maintained high and relatively stable scores related to their: (1) self-ratings of probable success as future teachers; (2) positive attitude about teaching as a career; and (3) concerns about their impact upon their future pupils. These findings were found to be generally predictable and consistent with theories of teacher development such as Fuller's stages of concerns model. (Author/JD)